Method of making a knitted fabric



April 2, 1963 c. SELIGSON METHOD OF MAKING A KNITTED FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 10, 1960 FIG. 2

m Tm INVENTOR. f

3,l83,439 lt ETHQD E MAKENG A KNITTED FABREC Charles Seiigson, 349 E. 63rd, New York, NY. Filed May 10, 1960, Ser. No. 28,159 9 Claims. (Cl. 2872) The present invention relates to a method for making a knitted fabric, and more particularly to a method for making a knitted fabric having spaced pile strips.

Knitted fabrics are known which have a pile covering the entire back of the fabric. Therefore, the color of the jersey base is not visible through the pile, so that striped and other multi-colored designs, cannot be produced on knitted pile fabric according to the prior art, except by changing the pile yarn on the face.

Furthermore, known knitted pile fabrics are comparatively heavy since they include a body layer and a pile layer.

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the known methods for making a knitted pile fabric, and to provide a new method for making a pile fabric which does not require the use of a special pile fabric machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for making a knitted pile fabric whose pile consists of spaced strips so that the design of the fabric body is visible between the pile strips.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for making a knitted pile fabric which can be performed by conventional circular knitting machines employing jersey cams, on pattern wheel machines, and on automatic machines.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a knitted pile fabric having thin pile strips extending only for single courses, but having comparatively long free brushed yarn ends forming the narrow pile strips.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method in which needle loops of an additional yarn are knitted together with needle loops of the body layer of the pile fabric to anchor the free brushed yarn end portions which form the pile strips on the back of the fabric.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method in which a multi-filament yarn is fed at selected courses so that needle loops of the entire multifilament yarn, or of some filament of the multi-filament yarn are knitted at random into the fabric.

A circular knitting machine is used for carrying out the methods of the present invention. With the above objects in view, one method of the present invention comprises the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a feed station to tuck position so that the needle hooks engage a yarn; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles during the lowering of the needles so that portions of the yarn between the needles are placed on the sinkers, preferably on the noses of the sinkers, so that the yarn is kinked during further downward movement of the needles; raising at the following feed station the needles to knit position so that the needles engage another yarn, and lowering the needles to cast-off position so that the latches of the needles are closed in the region of the kinked yarn; and knitting another selected number of courses of jersey stitches.

When the latches of the needles close, some latches miss the yarn, and the latches of other needles catch the yarn either fully, or partly. In this manner, new needle loops of the yarn engaged in the tuck position, and of the other yarn engaged in the knit position are formed at random. Floats of the yarn engaged in tuck position extend on the back of the fabric, and are anchored by the respective needle loops.

3,933,439 Fatented Apr. 2, 1963 The back of the fabric is brushed, whereby the heats are torn and the free brushed ends of the anchored loops form pile strips which are spaced from each other by courses of jersey stitches.

Preferably, the yarn which is fed in tuck position of the needles is a comparatively stiif multi-filament yarn whose filaments tendto spread apart when the yarn is kinked, for example a rayon yarn. The spread filaments assure that the closing latches of some needles engage only some of the filaments to form needle loops of the same, while other latches engage the entire multi-filament yarn to form needle loops of the same. Consequently, a brushed pile formed by the respective multi-filament yarn includes shorter free ends consisting of the filaments which were not caught by a closing latch, and longer free ends which are formed by float loops between needle loops of the multi-filament yarn. A knitted fabric of the present invention produced by the above described method comprises courses consisting of plain jersey stitches, and other courses including jersey stitches and needle loops of an additional yarn knitted with some of the needle loops of the jersey stitches of the respective course. The needle loops of the additional yarn are arranged at random, and have free end portions projecting from the back of the fabric along the respective courses, and are preferably brushed to form thin pile strips. The additional yarn is preferably a multi-filament rayon yarn.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 6 are fragmentary perspective views illustrating successive operational steps of the present invention carried out on a circular knitting machine;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the back of a fabric knitted in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the back of a finished knitted fabric according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a piece of jersey fabric 1 knitted in a conventional manner on a circular knitting machine and including a selected number of courses 11 of which two courses are shown. Another course 12 is to be knitted in accordance with the present invention, and. the needles 2 passing through the old loops .12 are raised to tuck position and have engaged at new yarn 3. This yarn will eventually form loops and a pile on the back of the fabric, and will be referred to hereinafter as loop yarn. Since needles 2 were raised to tuck position, latches 21:are located within the old needle loops 12.

FIG. 2 illustrates the next following stage at the respective feed station. Needles 2 are lowered and take along the loop yarn 3. In accordance with the present invention, the motions of the sinkers 4 and of the needles 2 are controlled in such a manner that during the lowering of the needles 2, portions 31 of the loop yarn 3 are placed on the sinkers, while-the portions 32 of the loop yarn are moved downward with needles 2. Consequently, loop yarn 3 is kinked.

In the preferred method according to the present invention, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, the relative motion of the sinkers and needles is adjusted in such a manner that the kinked portions 31 are not placed on the knitting surface 41 of the sinkers 4, but on the top face of the noses 42 of the sinkers.

This is accomplished by adjusting the sinker cams in the sinker cam ring so that the sinkers advance further than is customary in knitting machines of this type. However, the sinkers must not be advanced so far as to interfere with the normal knitting-action required for'knitting the jersey courses 11. r

Furthermore, the stitch cam is adjusted in such a manner as to effect a downward movement of needles 2 which is more rapid than the movement obtained with conventional stitch cams.

Since the sinkers are farther advanced, and the needles more rapidly moved downward, thesinker noses 42 are still under the loop thread 3 when the needles 2 arrive in the position of FIG. 2, although the sinkers 4 have already started their rearward movement.

It will be understood that under certain circumstances it may be possible to obtain the position of the loop yarn shown in FIG. 2 by adjusting only the sinker cams, or only the stitch cams. 1

However, the combination of the two variables is preferred, and when normal knitting is desired at a feed station, the stitch cam is not set to accelerate the needles 2 during downward movement. The stitch cams at the and the loop thread 3 are in the position illustrated in FIG. 2. Portions 32 of loop thread 3 are held in the hooks 22 of needles 2, while portions 31 of the loop thread 3 are located on the noses 42 of sinkers 4.

At the next following feed station, the needles 2 are raised to knit position, and the hooks 22 engage a new yarn 5. Sinkers 4 are further retracted, so that portions 31 of loop yarn 3 are no longer supported on noses 42,

while at the same time latches 21 have moved to a position located above the old loops 12 and releasing the loop yarn 3. Sinkers 4 release the kinks of loop yarn 3 when latches 21 pass beyond the kinks. The rapid needle movement does not permit the kinks to spread substantially before the needles move downwardly again. Some kinks may ride upwardly with the respective latches, and will be later caught by the same, as will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and for --a loop 35 caught by a latch 21c.

At the same feed station where yarn 5 was supplied, the needles 2 are lowered to the cast-off position by the stitch cam at the respective feed station. Before the needles 2 reach-the cast-01f position, they pass through the position shown in FIG. 4 in which the latches 21a,

21b and 210 are engaged by the oldloops 12 and move to a closing position engaging the respective hook 22 of the needle.

In the prefer-red method of the present invention, the loop yarn 3 is a multi-filarnent yarn consisting of fairly stifi filaments and having a flulfy open character. A multi-filament yarn of this type will tend to spread apart where it is bent, and consequently the kinked portions 32 of loop yarn 3 will tend to spread so that the filaments of the yarn will slightly separate. At the moment in which the latches 21 are closed by the old loops 12, as shown in FIG. 4, the spread kinked yarn 3 is located opposite the latches 21 and will he engaged by the same at random. Three different engagements between the latches 21 and the loop thread 3 are possible. For illustrative purposes, all three possibilities are illustrated in FIG. 4 to occur on adjacent needles, but it will be under stood that this is not necessarily the case.

It is assumed that the latch 21a of the first needle 2 is located at a particularly spread kinked portion 32 of loop yarn 3, so that the latch 21a passes between adjacent filaments of the spread loop yarn 3 so that when the lach 21a completely closes, only some of the filaments of loop yarn 3 will be enclosed with the new yarn 5 in the hook 22 of the first needle.

7 It is also assumed that the portion of yarn 3 located opposite latch 21b is somehow located out of the path of movement of latch 21b, so that only yarn 5 is enclosed in the hook 22 when latch 21b closes.

It is further assumed that the third needle is located opposite a portion of loop yarn 3, which has not substantially spread, and happened to assume a position wholly located at the inside of the latch 210 which will enclose loop yarn 3 and yarn 5 in hook 22.

Since the kinked yarn 3 is completely loose in the position of FIG. 3, thethree possible engagements between the latches 21 and the kinked yarn 3 take place at random, and several adjacent needles may catch some filaments, or all filaments, of loop yarn 3, or entirely miss the loop yarn 3.

The needles continue the downward movement to castofi position, and pull the portion of the loop yarn 3 held in the hooks through the old loops 12. However, the first needle will pull only some filaments of yarn 3 through the respective old loop 12, while the other filaments will remain on the face of the fabric. The second needle will pull only yarn 5 through the old loop, while the third needle will pull all the filaments of loop yarn 3, and yarn 5 through the old loop '12.

At the next feed station, needles 2 are again moved to knit position, and engage the new yarn 6. The stems of needles 2 pass through the newly formed loops 13. Corresponding to the assumed examples shown in FIG. 4, the loop 13a on the first needle, consists of a loop 33 formed of the filaments caught by latch 21a and of a loop 51 formed of the yarn 5. Filaments 34, which were not caught by latch 21a do not form part of the needle loop 33 but lie on the face of the fabric still connected to the needle loop 33.

The new loop 13 produced by the third needle includes a needle loop 35 formed of the entire loop yarn 3, and a needle loop 52 formed of the yarn 5, since the entire thickness of loop yarn 3 was caught by latch 210 in the position of FIG. 4.

The second needle has formed a loop 53 of yarn S, but has not made a needle loop of yarn 3, sincelatch 21!; was assumed to have missed yarn 3. Consequently the portion 36 of yarn 3 tor-ms a floating loop between the needle loops 33 and 35. The free float 36 is an- .chored to the jersey body by the needle loops 33 and 35.

Since formation of complete needle loops 35 and of incomplete needle loops 33 takes place atrandom, it is possible that a free float 36 extend over several stitches, although it is illustrated in FIG. 5 to extend over a single stitch produced by the second needle.

Needles 2 are downwardly moved by the stitch cam of the station at which the yarn 6 was supplied, and pass through loops -13 to cast-off position so that yarn 6 forms loops 14 as shown in FIG. 6. Needles 2 are again moved by the raising cam to knit position for engaging another yarn 7. Several courses of plain jersey stitches may now be knitted, whereupon the operation described with reference to FIGS. 1, to '5 is repeated at another feed station. In this manner, a selected number of courses or jersey stitches 11 is followed by a course 13 to which a loop yarn 3 was added, whereupon another selected number of plain jersey courses is knitted, and followed by another special coursetowhich a loop yarn is added.

FIGS. '1 to 6 illustrate an operation in which a loop yarn 3 is added at a single teed station, but it will be understood that another loop yarn may be introduced at the next following station so that two, or more, loop yarns 3 may be located in adjacent special courses. In

one embodiment of the present invention, a loop yarn are located at random. A needle loop 33 consists of some of the filaments of the loop yarn 3, while other filaments form the portion 34. The float loops 36 are consequently distributed at random.

In the lower course 13 two complete needle loops 35 of loop yarn 3 are shown to be connected by a fioat loop 36. A needle loop 33 comprises some of the filaments of yarn 3 follows a complete needle loop 35, and the respective yarn portion 3+ is correspondingly located adjacent a float loop 36.

A rectangular brush 8 is indicated by phantom lines to be located over several courses of the knitted fabric. The brush 8 is used to tear the float portions 36 so that brushed free end portions 35a are formed, as shown in FIG. 8. The portions 34 are also torn and form shorter free end portions 34a. The brushed end portions 36a and 34a form narrow pile strips extending along the respective courses 13 on the back of the fabric. Each brushed pile end portion 36 is anchored by a needle loop 35 or by a needle loop 33 in the body of the jersey fabric. Consequently, it is not possible to pull out the free end portions 36a. The fabric may also be brushed transverse to the courses.

Since the jersey courses 11, 12 of which any selected number may be provided between pile courses 13, are not fully covered by the pile end portions 35a and 34a, colored stripes produced by using diiferently colored jersey yarns, are visible at the back of the fabric, although the back of the fabric is provided with a pile. The color of the loop yarns 3 may be one of the colors of the jersey yarn, or a different color in accordance with the desired effect. in the preferred embodiment of the knitted fabric of the present invention, the loop yarn 3 is a rayon yar-n, whereas the jersey courses are made of cotton yarn. In this manner, a particular effect is produced, since the pile consists of rayon filaments, while the base of the fabric is made of cotton.

Strictly speaking, pile strips are formed only along the courses where a looped thread was added. This is contrast to known knitted pile fabrics in which pile yarns are provided on every course and form a dense pile completely covering the back of the fabric. However, in the knitted fabric according to the present invention, the brushed end portions 36a are sufficiently long to extend over the few courses 11 of jersey stitches which separate the pile courses 13, and consequently the entire back of the fabric appears to be sparsely covered by a thin spread-out pile which does not cover-up a colored design provided on the jersey courses which is consequently visible through the thin spread-out pile of the present invention.

A control of the density of the pile can be achieved by suitably selecting the frequency of the feed stations where loop yarns are fed. For example, a loop yarn may be provided at every sixth feed station. A denser coverage can be achieved by putting in the loop yarns more frequently. Sparser coverage is achieved by putting in the loop yarns less frequently.

The size of the loop yarn also determines the extent of coverage. A 150 denier rayon yarn has been found very suitable for shirt weight fabrics and is preferably used with a 350 denier jersey yarn. Coating weight fabrics can be made by increasing the sizes of the yarns.

The length of the brushed yarn portions 36a can be controlled by adjusting the tension of the loop yarn. More tension causes the loop yarn to straighten out so that the loop yarn is less kinked during the operational steps illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, so that fewer yarn portions are caught by the latches of the needles and longer float loops 36 are produced between loops 35 or 33 which are knitted into the body of the fabric.

Reduced tension of the thread loop yarn has the op posite effect since a greater length of the loop yarn is kinked by the needles so that the loop yarn is more often caught by latches resulting in shorter float portions 36, and consequently in shorter brushed end portions 36a and in a pile which is less deep.

The knitted fabric of the present invention can be made on pattern Wheel machines, on jersey machines, and on automatic machines. Automatic machines can make any bold spacing of stripes, and pattern wheel machines can be used for carrying out the method of the present invention to produce figures and textured effects. Tuck bar machines can be used to create textured or patterned stripe effects.

However, a standard jersey knitting machine employing raising cams and stitch cams can be used for carrying out the present invention. At the feed stations, where loop yarns are fed, the standard raising cams can be replaced by cams of lesser height which raise the needles to tuck position or the cams of the machine at their respective feed stations may be cut down for the sam purpose. In addition, the stitch cams at the feeding stations where loop yarns are fed, are adjusted and set to be steeper and to accelerate the downward movement of the needles as compared with the other conventional stitch cams of the machine which are used for jersey stitches. Preferably, the sinker cams are also adjusted so that the sinkers advance farther than in conventional machines, but of course not so far as to interfere with the normal knitting action which takes place at the courses where jersey stitches are formed. Jersey knitting machines having 64 feed stations, or 96 feed stations may be used, and are capable of producing narrow stripes of different colors. Since some of the feed stations are used for inserting the loop yarn, the number of feed stations for producing the jersey courses is correspondingly reduced.

The knitted fabric according to the present invention has a characteristic appearance and is readily distinguishable from other pile fabrics. The pile is sparse and the body of the fabric is visible through the pile so that interesting effects can be obtained by having the body of .the fabric striped or provided With other multi-colored designs, While the sparse pile may have a different color. If the pile courses are sufliciently spaced by jersey courses, the pile appears to extend along strips. However, since the brushed end portions of the float loops are rather long, they irregularly extend over the jersey courses so that at a distance the entire back of the fabric appears to be covered with a continuous sparse pile.

Needle loops 33, 35 appear in a random arrangement on the face of the fabric and are particularly apparent if the color of the loop yarn is different from the color of the jersey yarn. While this is an interesting characteristic of the knitted fabric according to'the present invention, it will be understood that the back of the cloth has the pile, and is used as the face of a garment. i

It will be understood that each of the elements described above or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of knitted cloth different from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a method for making a knitted pile fabric on a circular knitting machine, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended Within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine with latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a loop yarn; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles during the lowering of the needles so that portions of said loop yarn between said needles are placed on the sinkers whereby said loop yarn is kinked during further downward movement of said needles; raising at the following feed station said needles to knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to castoff position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said kinked loop yarn whereby the latches of some needles miss said kinked loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said kinked loop yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said kinked loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; and knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches.

2. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine with latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a :feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a loop yarn; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles during the lowering of the needles so that the downward movement of the needles is accelerated and portions of said loop yarn between said needles are placed on noses of the sinkers whereby said loop yarn is kinked'during further downward movement of said needles; raising at the following feed station said needles to knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to cast-off position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said kinked loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said kinked loop yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said kinked loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; and knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches.

3. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine with latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a lluffy loop yarn comprising a plurality of filaments; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles .during the lowering of the needles so that portions of said loop yarn between said needles are placed on the sinkers whereby said loop yarn is kinked during further downward movement of said needles and said filaments spread apart; raising at the following feed station said needlesto knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to cast-off position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said kinked loop yarn whereby the latches of some needles miss said kinked loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said kinked loop yarn fully, while the latches of further needles catch only some filaments of said kinked loop yarn so that said other needles form complete new loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn, and said further needles form new loops only of said caught filaments and of said other yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said kinked loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; and knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches.

4. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine With latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a fluffy loop yarn comprising a plurality of filaments; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles during the lowering of the needles so that the downward movement of the needles is accelerated and portions of said loop yarn between said needles are placed on noses of the sinkers whereby said loop yarn is kinked during further downward movement of said needles and said filaments spread apart; raising at the following feed station said needles to knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to cast-oil? position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said kinked loop yarn whereby the latches of some needles miss said kinked loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said kinked loop yarn fully, while the latches of further needles catch only some filaments of said kinked loop yarn so that said other needles form complete new loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn, and said further needles form new loops only of said caught filaments and of said other yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said kinked loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; and knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches.

5. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine with latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a flufiy loop yarn comprising a plurality of filaments, said filaments being still and tending to spread apart; lowering said needles; raising at the following feed station said needles to knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to cast-off position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said loop yarn whereby the latches of some needles miss said loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said loop yarn fully, while the latches of further needles catch only some filaments of said loop yarn so that said other needles form complete new loops of said loop yarn and of said other yarn, and said further needles form new loops only of said caught filaments and of said other yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; and brushing the back of the fabric so that said floats are torn and form pile strips between said courses of jersey stitches. i

6. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine with latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles atra feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a loop yarn; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles during the lowering of the needles so that portions of said loop yarn between said needles are placed on the sinkers whereby said loop yarn is kinked during further downward movement of said needles; raising at the following feed station said needles to knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to castoff position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said kinked loop yarn whereby the latches of some needles miss said kinked loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said kinked loop yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said kinked loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; and brushing the back of the fabric so that said floats are torn and form pile strips between said courses of jersey stitches.

7. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine with latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a loop yarn; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles during the lowering of the needles so that portions of said loop yarn between said needles are placed on the sinkers whereby said loop yarn is kinked during further downward movement of said needles; raising at the following feed station said needles to knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to castoif position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said kinked loop yarn whereby the latches of some needles miss said kinked loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said kinked loop yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said kinked loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; and brushing the back of the fabric in the direction of said courses so that said floats are torn and form a pile.

8. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine with latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a loop yarn; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles during the lowering of the needles so that the downward movement of the needles is accelerated and portions of said loop yarn be tween said needles are placed on noses of the sinkers whereby said loop yarn is kinked during further downward movement of said needles; raising at the following feed station said needles to knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to cast-01f position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said kinked loop yarn whereby the latches of some needles miss said kinked loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said kinked loop yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said kinked loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; and brushing the back of the fabric so that said floats are torn and form a pile.

9. The method of making a knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine with latch needles, comprising the steps of knitting a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; raising the needles at a feed station to tuck position and feeding to the needle hooks a fluffy loop yarn comprising a plurality of filaments; controlling the motions of the sinkers and needles during the lowering of the needles so that the downward movement of the needles is accelerated and portions of said loop yarn between said needles are placed on noses of the sinkers whereby said loop yarn is kinked during further downward movement of said needles and said filaments spread apart; raising at the following feed station said needles to knit position, feeding to said needles another yarn, and lowering said needles rapidly to cast-off position so that the latches of said needles are closed in the region of said kinked loop yarn whereby the latches of some needles miss said kinked loop yarn and the latches of other needles catch said kinked loop yarn fully, while the latches of further needles catch only some filaments of said kinked loop yarn so that said other needles form complete new loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn, and said further needles form new loops only of said caught filaments and of said other yarn so that only said other needles form loops of said kinked loop yarn and of said other yarn for anchoring the floats of said kinked loop yarn which are formed at said some needles and which extend on the back of the fabric; knitting again a selected number of courses of jersey stitches; and brushing the back of the fabric so that said floats are torn and form a pile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,083,301 Jones June 8, 1937 2,106,119 Krasselt Jan. 18, 1938 2,120,187 Raynor June 7, 1938 2,936,513 Ibach May 17, 1960 

1. THE METHOD OF MAKING A KNITTED FABRIC ON A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE WITH LATCH NEEDLES, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF KNITTING A SELECTED NUMBER OF COURSES OF JERSEY STITCHES; RAISING THE NEEDLES AT A FEED STATION TO TUCK POSITION AND FEEDING TO THE NEEDLE HOOKS A LOOP YARN; CONTROLLING THE MOTIONS OF THE SINKERS AND NEEDLES DURING THE LOWERING OF THE NEEDLES SO THAT PORTIONS OF SAID-LOOP YARN BETWEEN SAID NEEDLES ARE PLACED ON THE SINKERS WHEREBY SAID LOOP YARN IS KINKED DURING FURTHER DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID NEEDLES; RAISING AT THE FOLLOWING FEED STATION SAID NEEDLES TO KNIT POSITION, FEEDING TO SAID NEEDLES ANOTHER YARN, AND LOWERING SAID NEEDLES RAPIDLY TO CASTOFF POSITION SO THAT THE LATCHES OF SAID NEEDLES ARE CLOSED 